The Blériot XI, largely designed by Raymond Saulnier, was a development of the Blériot VIII which Blériot had flown successfully in 1908. The engine was mounted directly in front of the leading edge of the wing and the bracing and warping wires were attached to a cabane structure made of steel tubing above the fuselage and an inverted pyramid, also of steel tubing, below it. The Blériot XI gained lasting fame on 25 July 1909 when Blériot crossed the English Channel from Calais to Dover, winning a £1,000 prize awarded by the Daily Mail. The monoplane from this photo was piloted from Mikael Carlson.

Po-2

The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2) served as a general-purpose Soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik (from Russian “кукуруза” – crop duster). The reliable, uncomplicated as well as a low-cost ground attack, aerial reconnaissance, psychological warfare and liaison aircraft during war, proving to be one of the most versatile light combat types to be built in USSR. It is the second most produced aircraft, and the most produced biplane, in the history of aviation. More than 40,000 Po-2s were built between 1928 and 1953. It remained in production for a longer period of time than any other Soviet-era aircraft.

An-2

The Antonov An-2 , also nicknamed “Annushka” or “Annie” – is a single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed in the USSR in 1946. The An-2 was designed as a utility aircraft for use in forestry and agriculture. However, the basic airframe is highly adaptable and numerous variants have been developed. These include hopper-equipped versions for crop-dusting, scientific versions for atmospheric sampling, water-bombers for fighting forest-fires, flying ambulances, float-equipped seaplane versions, and lightly armed combat versions for dropping paratroops – Soviet paratroopers would practice low-level jumps into snowdrifts without parachutes. The most common version is the An-2T 12-seater passenger aircraft.

Su-27

And now – something more modern. The Sukhoi Su-27 (Russian: Сухой Су-27) (NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a twin-engine supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. The Su-27′s basic design is aerodynamically similar to the MiG-29, but it is substantially larger. It is a very large aircraft, and to minimise its weight its structure has a high percentage of titanium (about 30%, more than any of its contemporaries). No composite materials were used.

A-50

The Beriev A-50 (NATO reporting name “Mainstay“) is a Soviet-built airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport. Developed to replace the Tupolev Tu-126 “Moss”, the A-50 first flew in 1978. The Beriev A-50 (NATO reporting name “Mainstay“) is a Soviet-built airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport. Developed to replace the Tupolev Tu-126 “Moss”, the A-50 first flew in 1978.

Su-34

The Sukhoi Su-34 is intended to replace the Sukhoi Su-24. The Su-34′s most distinctive feature is the unusually large flight deck. Much of the design work went into crew comfort. The two crew members sit side by side in a large cabin, with the pilot-commander to the left and navigator/operator of weapons to the right in NPP Zvezda K-36dm ejection seats.

Ka-52 „Alligator“

In the early 1980s, while the comparative tests of the V-80 (Ka-50 prototype) and the Mi-28 were still ongoing, the Kamov design team came up with a proposal to develop a dedicated helicopter to conduct battlefield reconnaissance, provide target designation, support and co-ordinate group attack helicopter operations. However, the economic hardships that hit the nation in the late 1980s hampered the development program of the new type. This prompted Kamov’s Designer General to choose a modified version of Ka-50 on which to install the recce and target designation system. The modified “Hokum” required a second crew member to operate the optronics/radar recce suite. Kamov decided to use side-by-side seating arrangement, due to the verified improvements in co-operation between the crew members. This twin-seat version of the “Hokum” received a designation of Ka-52.

Tu-160Tu-160

The Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. The Tu-160 is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-321 afterburning turbofan engines, the most powerful ever fitted to a combat aircraft. Unlike the American B-1B Lancer, which reduced the original Mach 2+ requirement for the B-1A to achieve a smaller radar profile, the Tu-160 retains variable intakes, and is capable of reaching Mach 2 speed at altitude. The NK-321 turbofans are efficient for subsonic cruise, but suboptimal for supersonic flight due to inlet drag.
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Guests – France

The Pilots of France – Official guests on the parade.

Rafale

The Dassault Rafale (French pronunciation: [ʁafal], squall) is a French twin-engine delta-wing fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Dassault described the Rafale as being an omnirole fighter with semi-stealth capabilities. The Rafale is a multirole combat aircraft; capable of simultaneously undertaking air supremacy, interdiction, reconnaissance, and the airborne nuclear deterrent missions.

Yak-52 and Yak-54

The Yakovlev Yak-52 (Як-52) is a Soviet primary trainer aircraft which first flew in 1976. It is still being produced in Romania by Aerostar, which gained manufacturing rights under agreement within the now defunct COMECON socialist trade organisation. The Yak-52 was designed originally as an aerobatic trainer for students in the Soviet DOSAAF training organisation, which trained both civilian sport pilots and military pilots.

Ts-11

The PZL TS-11 Iskra (English: Spark) is a Polish jet trainer aircraft, used by the air forces of Poland and India. It is notable as the main trainer plane of the Polish Army, the oldest jet plane still in service in Poland – and one of the most reliable.

Finland

Finnish “Midnight hawks”

MB-339

The Aermacchi MB-339 is an Italian military trainer and light attack aircraft. It was developed as a replacement for the earlier MB-326. The first flight took place on 12 August 1976 and deliveries to the Italian Air Force commenced in 1979. Still in production in 2004 in an enhanced version with a much-modernised cockpit. Over 200 MB-339s have been built, with roughly half of them going to the Italian Air Force.

Su-25BM

The Su-25BM (Buksirovshchik Misheney) is a target-towing variant of the Su-25 whose development began in 1986. The prototype, designated “T-8BM1″, successfully flew for the first time on 22 March 1990, at Tbilisi, and the aircraft was put into production after completion of the test phase.

The Su-25BM target-tower was designed to provide towed target facilities for training ground forces and naval personnel in ground-to-air or naval surface-to-air missile systems. It is powered by an R-195 engine and equipped with an RSDN-10 long-range navigation system, an analogue of the Western LORAN system.

And now…. (beating drums) Sukhoi PAK FA 5-th generation

Sukhoi PAK FA T-50

The Sukhoi PAK FA (Russian: Сухой ПАК ФА, Russian: Перспективный авиационный комплекс фронтовой авиации, Perspektivny aviatsionny kompleks frontovoy aviatsii, literally “Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation”) is a twin-engine jet fighter being developed by Sukhoi for the Russian Air Force. The PAK FA, a fifth generation jet fighter, is intended to be the successor to the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian inventory and serve as the basis of the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA being developed with India. Although most information about the PAK FA is classified, sources within in the Russian Air Force and Defense Ministry have openly stated that it will feature stealth technology and have the capability to supercruise, and incorporate advanced avionics such as an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and an artificial intelligence system.The PAK FA has a reported maximum weapons load of 7,500 kg. It has an apparent provision for a cannon (most likely GSh-301), and could possibly carry two 30 mm cannons. The PAK FA has two internal bays estimated at 4.6-4.7 metres by 1-1.1 metres. The expected initial armaments include Kh-35UE (AS-20 “Kayak”), Kh-38ME, Kh-58UShKE (AS-11 “Kilter”), and RVV-MD (AA-11 “Archer”) missil